It is Friday afternoon, 70 degrees and brilliant sunshine; the perfect excuse to put the top down and head out to work. That I am doing using Windows 7 with great relish. Life is good.

Image taken with iPhone 3G

I am having lunch at the local Denny’s, enjoying the free Wi-Fi while waiting for my salad. The Lenovo ThinkPad x200 is perfect for this scenario. I have it in slate mode, using the touch controls to surf the web, check email and write this post. Life is good.

Taken with HTC Hero

I am working this afternoon at the local Panera Bread. I am firmly entrenched in the college and professional football seasons here in U.S., so today I decided to go long and wide. The big 14-inch screen of the loaner Lenovo T400s was just the ticket, especially given the 1440×900 resolution. And of course there is that great keyboard.

I took the photo with the HTC Hero camera. It has a 5 megapixel camera and I must say, this photo is not as good as those I take with the Pre. The Pre is at home right now, as I discovered it had a completely drained battery, even though it had been sitting on the Touchstone charger. Uh oh.

HP Mini 1000, MS Arc mouse, MiFi

I recently returned the HP Mini 5101 netbook and this morning I realized I only have one netbook at Mobile Tech Manor. The HP Mini 1000 is the only netbook after returning 4 or 5 others along with the 5101. As I was pondering only having the one netbook, a highly unusual situation for me, I noticed that the 1000 was still running Windows 7 RC.

I had installed it when the Release Candidate first appeared, andthe Mini 1000 has run well with Windows 7. I couldn’t keep using a beta version so I set out to install the full blown version of Windows 7.

The install went flawlessly, and the first Windows Update after it completed found all the drivers needed to finish the job. It was the easiest install of Win 7 I’ve experienced yet.

I had to head out for some java and take the Mini 1000 along to break in that new Win 7 install properly, so here I am. The 1000 is running very well indeed.

As a refresher, this Mini 1000 has the following specs:

• Atom 1.6 GHz
• 1 GB RAM
• 16 GB SSD
• 10-inch display, 1024×576
• Wi-Fi

I am trying something with the Mini I haven’t tried on a netbook yet. I have a 4 GB SD card that I’ve been using for additional storage given the small SSD in the 1000. This time I have the SD card set to be totally devoted to ReadyBoost duty to enhance the performance of Windows 7 on the Atom processor. So far it definitely is making a difference.

Mobile desktop

I attended the GigaOM Pro webinar earlier (which was great) and then needed to get out of the office. I am in the coffee shop working away on the loaner Viliv X70 UMPC, now that it’s back running Windows XP after my failed attempt to put Windows 7 on it. I’ll detail that aborted process in tomorrow’s Mobile Tech Manor column.

The X70 is a stellar mobile desktop when paired with the Stowaway wireless keyboard and mouse. It’s so small for transport, yet the 7-inch screen is quite comfortable to use for extended periods on the table. I am flying through stuff with no feeling of compromise at all.

I had a routine doctor’s appointment today and they actually got me in and out early! I can’t remember the last time a doctor got me out of their office even earlier than my appointment start time.

I was prepared though; I had taken the Viliv S5 UMPC along for the ride. I stopped off for a cool beverage (it’s 100 degrees here) and got some blogging done with the little rig. These opportunities are perfect for the little UMPC with the wireless keyboard and mouse.

HTC Advantage, MacBook (not in L-R order)

I’m hanging out in the local beanery, working away and generally messing with those around me who not only keep asking me about my “tiny laptop,” but are blown away when I tell them it’s two years old. I’m not bad; I’m just drawn this way.

I am using the HP Mini 5101 netbook, and the more I use it, the more I feel that it is my favorite netbook so far. I’ve used a lot of them, but the 5101 with the chiclet keyboard and small size is simply a great mobile computer. I am currently working in Google Chrome with seven tabs open, and the performance is decent.

This unit has one GB of RAM and I’m wondering how it will be with two GB installed? I just may have to find out. HP has made RAM upgrades easy to do, with the access panel that requires no tools. Microsoft won’t let HP sell the Mini with 2 GB of RAM with XP onboard, but they can’t stop me from adding it.

It isn’t scientific by any means, but the S10-2 seems faster than other 10-inch netbooks I’ve used. I usually feel occassional lags on netbooks I’ve used in the past, but so far I’m an hour into my work session, and no lags.

I am using the Microsoft Arc Mouse with the Lenovo, and I like this portable mouse the more I use it. It costs nothing in weight or bulk to carry, yet it is a complete mouse in every way. I am not a track pad person at all (other than on the MacBook) and I simply must have a mouse with me. I feel that the Arc Mouse coupled with the S10-2 is providing me a work session without compromise, and that’s saying a lot.

I will be traveling to the West Coast this weekend for a few days, and I am seriously considering taking the S10-2. It couldn’t be easier to carry and it’s not lacking in anything I’m likely to need on the short trip. It’s a work trip; in fact Kevin and I will be in the same place. That’s something that doesn’t happen too often, and it should be fun. I wonder which computer he’ll bring?

When I got to the coffee shop today, while walking from my car to the store I realized that a car parked by the front door was sitting there empty. There was no one in it; apparently the owner figured he/she wouldn’t be gone very long and left it running. This was done no doubt to keep the interior nice and cool in the summer heat, but come on. Leaving the keys in a car is bad enough, but leaving it running?

While I was eating lunch I heard my iPhone beep to indicate an email had arrived and when I pulled it out I was surprised to see the box pop up to tell me that Wi-Fi hotspot Dennys3767 was available and wide open. I let the iPhone connect up and sure enough it was nice and fast. And free. Late this afternoon when I was thinking it would be nice to step outside the office and work a bit I remembered how good and fresh the coffee is at Denny’s.

Off I went and spent some great work time, comfortably situated in a booth with lots of room. This was of course accompanied by that bottomless cup of good coffee that Denny’s is famous for. Talk about a great work session and just blocks from the hacienda. Sweet. I have a feeling I am in trouble now that I’ll likely be hanging out in Denny’s a lot more.

The Arc Mouse is a wireless portable mouse with two things that set it apart from the crowd. The first is it folds in half, making it very small for transport. The second is the USB dongle that plugs into the PC is very small and can even be left plugged in all the time, with little worry about breakage.

When folded, the mouse is as small as can be, but when it’s opened, it becomes a full-sized mouse that fits the hand perfectly. It tracks well and has a nice scroll wheel. It also has a button on the side that can do special functions when the Intellipoint software is installed, but I haven’t done that yet. I find the Arc Mouse to be a very good solution for the mobile worker.

What she liked best about the little netbook she showed me when she was leaving. She tossed it in the outside pocket of her purse, which is very convenient.

One of my favorite places to work is Panera Bread. The free Wi-Fi is pretty good, and as a rule, I find the locations to be more comfortable than that other big chain coffee shop. They have pretty good sandwiches for lunch, too.

No matter where I work, I spend a lot of time observing the other professionals working around me. I love seeing what gear they are using and how they use it. It gives me pause to think about how I approach my work and lets me make sure I do things the best I can.

One observation about working in Panera Bread puzzles me. I have noticed that many people who bring their laptops to Panera in order to work have big notebooks. I’m talking giant, honking 17-inch laptops with ports everywhere and nary a concern for easy portability. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m all for using the best gear that fits one’s needs — but after many, many sessions, I am seeing a trend that is not coincidental, I believe. I see them far more in Panera than any other venue I frequent. It is routine for me to see a giant notebook being used, and often more than one person using them, every single time I go to Panera. It’s just not that common to see them in other venues.

So what’s behind this? I have wracked my brain, but I can’t figure it out. How about you? Why would more big laptops be used in Panera Bread than in any other place?